The Experience of Motherhood for Five Female Clients in Recovery from Drug Addiction
The Experience of Motherhood for Five Female Clients in Recovery from Drug Addiction

Summary/Abstract: The present study investigates the experience of motherhood as described by five participants in a drug rehabilitation programmes. Thematic Analysis (TA) has been used for interpreting the results collected through recorded interviews and the main themes identified as the study findings were obtained through applying the TA as the analysis method. These main themes are: the factors which contributed to the drug abuse, dependency as a progression from legal to illegal drugs of class “B” and “A”, drug dependency as evolving from causing enhanced mood and culminating with extreme feelings of desperation and discomfort, factors contributing to maintaining drug addiction, a link between depression and drug abuse, involvment in criminal activities for financing the drug habit, the need for childcare services, social services perceived as punitive and unsupportive and the need for mending the damaged relationships with the families and local communities. The present study has also identified the need for gender sensitive interventions for female clients to encompass: interventions addressing depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, childcare services offered to the mothers commited to treatment, parenting classes, but also needs characteristics for any person, male or female, commited to drug treatment: the need to improve the communication and social skills, the need of a continuum of care service which to address all stages and needs of recovery, the need of a better awareness and knowledge regarding risks of drug abuse especially for those groups at risk. The need to avail of family therapy and mediation has been identified by the female clients as essential for the process of rebuilding links with the family and the local community.

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